...
Drones buzzed and hovered in the sky, scattering in all directions as they swept over the layered canopy and winding streams.
The environment this time was countless times better than the one Shen Yi had experienced last time.
The duration was short, and the climate was mild. It looked more like an ordinary suburban forest. The temperature difference was minimal, the streams were crystal clear, and flat ground suitable for resting could be seen everywhere. It was almost no different from the vast training ground on the back mountain of the Shen family estate.
"All fifty children have been deployed."
"Is there anything else to arrange?" someone asked.
The person in charge of on-site execution froze for a moment and muttered, "That's not right... I remember it was originally set for a hundred kids, wasn't it?"
He looked at his deputy beside him and lowered his voice. "Why was it suddenly cut in half? And one week, what is that enough for?"
What Shen Zhizhao originally wanted was not this mild mode at all, but rather cruel rules akin to a battle royale.
Pick out ten children, attach trackers to them, and treat them as fleeing prey. The remaining ninety would all be hunters, and armed ones at that.
Leaving absolutely no leeway, it was clear he wanted to ruthlessly torment Shen Yi and Shen Xun.
The monitoring room was only so big.
Shen Zhizhao naturally heard the executor's whispers.
Having arranged all the procedures in advance, his fingertips casually skimmed over a few lines of the daily briefing. Without even looking up, he replied softly, "It's just a training ground, after all. There's no need to be so harsh on children.
"Fifty people is not a small number."
"..."
It wasn't a small number, but compared to the originally planned one hundred, it had been slashed right in half.
The person in charge tactfully shut his mouth and asked no more questions.
Shen Zhizhao had originally planned to completely wash his hands of these two kids.
He had been merciful enough. Fifty people, a decently sized island, sufficient basic supplies, and a week's time. As long as they weren't too stupid, nothing would go wrong.
There were no fatal dangers here, no extreme temperature changes, and certainly no wild beasts.
It was very safe.
However, after wrestling with himself for a whole day, his anxiety ultimately gained the upper hand. Shen Zhizhao adjusted his monitoring earpiece and issued an early order.
Have all drones prioritize circling around Shen Yi and Shen Xun.
So he could keep a non-stop watch on their every move.
...
In the clearing, the fifty children were gathered on a wide lawn.
Many of them knew each other. Not long after landing, they spontaneously formed groups, gathering in twos and threes to whisper among themselves.
Shen Yi only knew Shen Xun, and the two subconsciously huddled close together.
The kind-faced person in charge stepped down from the helicopter. His gaze swept over the group of half-grown kids, a formulaic smile plastered on his face.
"Before you came, you should have known what you're supposed to do here, right? Your instructors should have made it very clear."
"We know," a child raised his hand. "We are allowed to kill each other, and then the winner takes all, and the losers die, right?"
"No, no, no, it's not that cruel. We are running a proper event." He gave a dry laugh and said seriously, "There are two camps. We will arrange a suitable adoptive family for the winning side and send you out."
"As for the losers..." The man's tone grew complicated, sounding somewhat reluctant, "We will also send you away from here."
"It's just that how you live after you get out will be entirely up to you."
Shen Yi was stunned by what she heard.
Was it actually this humane?
Then what was that whole ordeal Shen Zhizhao went through back in the day? Did Shen Zhizhao just have bad luck and miss out on the good times?
The others were so pleasantly surprised that their eyes lit up.
Shen Xun felt something wasn't right and pulled Shen Yi back. "The original rules weren't like this."
Shen Yi whispered back, "I guessed as much. Your oldest brother must have changed the rules."
The person in charge ignored their quiet conversation. He raised a hand, signaling the staff to come forward and distribute a simple mobile phone to each child, while also hanging a tag around everyone's waist.
"Turn them on."
Everyone lit them up as instructed.
The next second, soft green lights lit up on the chests of the vast majority of the group.
Only a scattered five people had tags glowing with a piercing red light.
"The red lights are the prey," the person in charge stated flatly. "The green ones are the hunters. For the red team, I am giving you three hours to run for your lives."
"The hunters only need to catch all the prey to win."
It sounded exactly like one of those pursuit games on a mobile phone.
But this was real wilderness survival, and these kids were no pushovers.
As soon as the green lights came on, the innocent and curious expressions on their faces vanished. One by one, their eyes locked onto the five flashing red lights, showing undisguised aggression.
Shen Yi was one of the red light holders.
Almost the very second she saw the light clearly, she grabbed Shen Xun's wrist. "Run."
The brother and sister reacted with astonishing speed, turning and diving straight into the dense forest.
Seeing this, the remaining three children also ran after them.
One of the boys chased after them rapidly.
"Hey, wait for us! We five are the only ones on the same team here. Why are you two running so fast?"
Shen Yi replied matter-of-factly, "Running for our lives! If you run slow, you can take up the rear."
"Don't worry, the two of us will survive just fine. When the time comes, you can just sit back and wait for our victory."
"..."
Damn it.
How could someone be so confident?
The boy had a bellyful of complaints he wanted to vent.
This place had an unusual number of mountain peaks and dense forest foliage.
The GPS visibility on the phones was mutual.
The kids with the green lights could find the exact locations of Shen Yi's group of five on their phones.
Shen Yi could also see the locations of those relentlessly pursuing them.
After running for a while, the boy felt uneasy. "We should split up. If we stay together, it's too easy for them to catch us all at once."
Shen Yi agreed with this point.
As long as one of the five wasn't caught, they would win.
This rule was more than just merciful; compared to the previous few times, it could practically be called child's play.
However, who wanted to watch a bunch of kids play house?
When the news reached the old Shen family estate, the faces of some old fogeys who cared deeply about this training changed drastically upon learning about this year's situation.
"I disagree."
The children of the Shen family were countless, even just in the collateral branches. Generation after generation, they had fought their way up through rigorous screening.
Those who weren't smart enough, ruthless enough, or steady enough would sooner or later be replaced.
If you wanted to test a child's character, you naturally had to throw them into extreme environments to see who was smarter, more resourceful, and more ruthless.
"Did Shen Zhizhao have someone change the rules?"
"Yes," a person nearby replied softly. "The old master gave him full authority over this time."
A middle-aged man from the uncle's generation immediately pulled a long face. "Shen Zhizhao is just too soft-hearted. A game like playing house won't train them for anything."
His tone carried an unsuppressible ruthlessness. "Go, have someone throw ten daggers in there, along with five tranquilizer guns, to add some heat to this training."
"If he doesn't see some blood, how can Shen Xun ever truly grow up?"
"...The eldest young master probably won't be happy about that," the subordinate said with a weak tone. "He has been keeping a very close eye on the young master throughout this entire training."
The middle-aged man let out a scoff, his expression entirely dismissive. "Aren't there people protecting them? What could possibly go wrong? Besides, I am his elder. Would Shen Zhizhao really turn on me over something so trivial?"
Didn't his own younger brothers have to wade through those exact same bloody rules before?
Given Shen Zhizhao's temperament, has he ever truly cared about anyone?
